Combination lock



June 23, 1931. D. ROBE'RTI COMBINATION LOCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 19. 1929 INVENTOR. 9M m QWQJ ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 23, 1931 OFFICE DARIO ROBERTI, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS COMBINATION LOCK Application fi1edDecember'19, 1929. Serial No. 415,265.

This invention relates to combination locks which may be adapted to a wide varietyof uses, such as for suit cases, trunks, doors,

drawers, etc. In the particular adaptation .5 thereof hereinafter descr ibed,'the invention '1 is embodied in an ignition switch for automobiles whereby the switch maybe locked in its open condition. 1 7 1 Z A feature of theinvention isthat'the ena tire lock mechanism is carried in a case which may be dismounted from its support on the dash or instrument board of a car at such times as the switch is unlocked but is retained securely in position while the switch is locked.

1 Such removal of the lock mechanism makes easy the inspectionand change of combination for the lock when desired. v

The invention further-resides in the combination and arrangement of parts-for ac- 2 complishing in a simple and effective manher the desirablefunctions of a combination locked switch or other locking member.

Referring to the drawings which show a the lock thecover'thereof in o en positionto show the mechanism contained within the case. I (In this view, the switch is closed and the lock bolt is in its rea-rmost position unlocked.) 'F 5 is a similar View with the'switch open, the lock bolt being in forward position and locked; p 7 Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section through the lock casing with the cover closed, taken in the plane indicated by the line A-A. of

Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a'detail section similar to that of Fig. 6 showing the racks in look releasing position;

Fig. 8 is a transverse section throughthe lockcase with the cover closed, taken along the line indicated at B B in Fig. 5; V

Fig. 9 is a detail section through the cover of the case along line C of Fig. 4;

Fig. 10 is a detail section along line DD holding pawls; and i Fig. 11 is a similar View showing off device in thrown outposition. 11

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the look mechanism is mounted and con: tained within a case made up preferably in a box like body 1 with a cover member 2 hinged at 3 along an upper side corner of said box. The case is intended to be mounted in a receptacle, the walls of which are indicatedat fin Fig. 2, said receptacle being provided in the usual instrument board or other supthe throw 7 of Fig. 4 showing the throw off device for the port in an automobile. The receptacle tis" openat the front and there is preferably provided a face plate 5 over the front side of the.- boX, which face plate is designed to overlap the edges of the receptacle 4 when the case is in position as indicated in Fig.1. Mounted in a suitable manner upon the automobile adjacent the receptacle t'is a switch contact device 6 adapted to coact V with a switch tongue 7 0f the lock mechanism for closing and opening the usual ignition circuit of the car.

1 In the particular embodiment of theiinvention herein described and shown, the lock mechanlsm is designed for locking the switch tongue 7 when the latter has opened the switch so as to prevent the use of the car untilthe combination of the lock is set for release. As will be evidentfor such a purpose, the switch tongue 7 will therefore be locked in its'forward or lockable position and unlocked in its rearward or unlockable position. It will be understood of course that -an opening is provided through the receptacle opposite theiswitch member 6 for allowing the switch tongue 7 to extend therethrough in coacting with said switch member.

Referring particularly to Fig. 4:, there is mounted for slidable movement upon the side 1 of the box 1 the lock bolt 8 formed preferably as anangle member with a vertical projecting wall 8a having a series of spaced notches 81) therein (see Figs. 6, 7 and 8). The rear end of the lock 'bolt has integral or fastened thereto the switch tongue 7 previously mentioned.

The cover 2 of the case is formed with a plurality of dove tailed channels 9, as shown in Fig. 8, for receiving therein a plurality of toothed racks .10 which are slidaible in the channels and normally impelled toward the lower end of said channels by return springs 11, also mounted in said channels, there being a separate return spring for each of the racks 10 as shown. The racks 10 are retained from moving endwise out of their respective channels by a keeper 12hinged to the cover at pivots 13 and 14, as shown in 4. Projecting pins 15 and 16 fixed to the end of the cover 2 are engageable by a latch 17 mounted on the .end of the box 1 and impelled by a spring 18 for latching said cover in closed position. A. bent wire spring 19 is mounted 'within the box 1 (as shown in Figs. 4 and 6) ina manner acting tothrow the cover open when unlatched.

As shown in Fig. 8, when the cover 2 is closed the racks 10 lie in the notches 8?) of the lock bolt 8. In other words, the racks 10 are arranged in intersecting relation with the lock bolt 8 when the cover is closed and thus act normally to lock or prevent any transverse movement of the lock bolt 8. It will be understood of course that the cover 2 cannot be closed unless the lock bolt is forward, viz., switch open position. The rack bars 10, however, are each formed with an arbitrarily located notch 20 which, when they .come into registration with the notches 8b of the lock bolt, free the latter for a longitudinal movement. In this way the lock bolt maybe unlocked and the switch closed.

A coil spring is mounted on the box 1 tending to throw the loci: bolt 8 rearwardly for closing the switch, and a handle stem 26 fixed at one end of said lock bolt extends to the outside of the case through the face plate 5 and is provided with a finger knob 27 for its operation.

The racks 10 are designed to be independently operated for bringing their notches 20 into registration with the notches 87) of the lock bolt and it will be understood that said notches 20 may be located at different distances from the ends of the racks 10 so that the latter will each require a difierent amount of travel to bring said notches 20 into registration with the notches 8b. The different lengths of movement for the racks 10 will be integral multiples of a step by step operation as determined by the combination, socalled, of the lock. The several racks 10 are preferably operated with a step by step movement so that each step may be counted and different combinations of saidcounted steps will be available for releasing the lock.

The means for operating the racks 10 each independently of the other comprises a selectively operated pinion 21 fixed to a sliding tubular shaft 2 having a finger knob 23 at its outer end for rotating the same. The shaft 22 is telescopically mounted for sliding movement upon an inner shaft 49 fixed to the box 1. The tubular shaft 22 has formed at spaced points along its length annular grooves 24 adapted to be engaged by a detent spring 50 and thus position the pinion 21 for mesh with one or the other of the several racks 10. The detent spring 50 is preferably mounted between the front face plate .5 and the wall of the box 1 and in a recess in the face plate, as shown in Fig. 2.

A separate holding pawl, such as 28, is provided for each of the racks 10 and these several holding :pawls are preferably formed as a bent spring member anchored at one end upon a common holding bar 29 (see Figs. 6 and 7 The holding bar 29 is pivotally mounted upon a cross pin 30 fixed-in the box and has laterally extending therefrom at one end a segment arm 31, the outer end of which is formed into a gear segment .32 (see Figs. 10 and 11). Acompression spring 33 normally tends to keep 1 he gear segment 32, bar 29, and associated spring pawls 28 in upper position, as shown in Figs. 7 and 10, whereby said spring pawls 28 ride into engagement with the teeth of the several racks 10 and act to hold said racks after each step by step movement of the latter. The gear segment 32 is located at the rear side of the box 1 or at the left side (Fig. 4) and when it is desired to release the racks 10 from their holding pawls 28 for being restored to initial position by their several return springs 11, the selective pinion 21 is pushed inwardly to its innermost position for meshing with said segment gear Thereupon the knob 23 is turned clockwise and the pinion 21 will swing the gear segment 32 downwardly against the force of its spring 33, which movement acts to withdraw the several holding pawls 28 collectively from their engagement with the racks 10.

A clicking detent is also preferably provided for engagement with the selective pinion 21 for counting by sound the different step by step movements of the latter, and this detent preferably consists of a wide blade 34 pivoted on the pin 30 so as to engage the pinion 21 in all of its positions of adjustment. A spring 35 fixed to the box 1 tends to keep the clicking detent 34 in engagement with said 1.1

pinion 21 and a cross pin 36 mounted in the box serves as a stop for said clicking detent 34.

A finger operated release latch is also provided for the lock bolt 8 whereby when the combination is set in unlocking condition, the switch may be opened and closed freely. This mechanism comprises a latching dog 37 carriedon a swinging arm 38 pivoted at 39 in the box 1. The forward end of thearm 38 has fixedthereto a finger knob 40 positioned 0n the outside of the face plate. A prong 25a of the spring 25 tends tokeep said arm 38 and dog 37 in lowered position (see Fig. 4). A lower reduced end of the dog 37 extends through a guide wall 41 fixed in the boX 1 and is adapted to take within a'notch 42 of the lock bolt 8 and hold the same in forward position. Thus when the lock bar is retracted by the knob 27, it will be held in retracted po- 40 will act to release the dog and permit rearward movement of the lock bolt 8 and its switch tongue 7. The condition for allowing a switch closing movement of the lock bolt is 1 that the combination may be properly set. While this condition continues, the switch may be freely opened and closed by successively pulling out knob 27 and raising knob 40. I

The present lock case, together with its locking mechanism, is designed to be removably mounted within its receptacle 4 so that it may be dismounted completely when desired for inspection and change of the combination. For this purpose, retaining latches 43 and 44 are provided, one for the upper end of the case and one for the lower endof the case and preferably mounted adjacent the front wallof said case, as shown inFigL4r These retaining latches 43 and 44 areslid-Q ably mounted on said case front wall and adapted to protrude from each end of the case for taking into keepers provided therefor in the receptacle. Each retaining latch 43 and 44 is preferably formed with two outer projecting portions, such as 4366 shown in F 1g. 3. The inner ends of said latches 43 and 44 are connected together by a return spring 45 tending to keep them in withdrawn position' The inner ends of said latches 43 and 44 are also provided with wedge feet 46 and 4'? arranged to coact with a wedge shaped front end48 of the lock bolt 8 whereby when said lock bolt is retracted, end 48 will spread apart the feet 46 and 47 and threw the latches 43 -and 44 into their protruding position for looking the case within its receptacle. It will be noted, however, that whenever the lock bolt is not retracted e., in switch closing position), the retaining latches 43 and .44 are inactive and the lock case as a whole may then be withdrawn from its receptacle; but that whenever the lock bolt 8 is in retracted posi tion (i. e'., in switch open position), thecase is then looked in" its receptacle and cannot be removed therefrom,

It will be understood from the foregoing description that in use the present lock mechanism can be set for any particular combination by changing the position. of the notches 20 in the racks 10. This may be conveniently accomplished by releasing the keeper 12 and either interchanging the racks 10 in their channels 9 or by the introduction of new racks having differently located notches 20. When ated to close the switch. When it is desired to open the switch and lock it open, knob 27 is first pulled toretract thelock bolt 8 and kno'b'23 is then moved to engage pinion 21 with the gear segment 32 and release the holding'p wls28, whereupon all the racks will be .restored', upsetting the combination and resition by the dog 37, and the raising of knob I a lock bolt movable between lockable and un lockable positions, a plurality of, separately operated racks mounted in intersecting relation with said lock bolt for locking the same in its lockable position, each of said racks having an arbitrarily positioned notch for freeing said lock bolt, selective means for operating said racks comprising'a sliding pinion adapted to engage with any one of several racks, a return sprlng and a holdlng pawl associated with each rack.

2. In a combination lock in a lock bolt movable between lockable and unlockable positions, a plurality of separately operated racks mounted in intersecting relatlon wlth sa1d lock bolt for locking the same in its lockable position, each of said racks having an arbitrarily positioned notch for freeing said lock bolt, selective means for operating said racks comprising a sliding 'pinion adapted to engage with anyone of several racks, a return spring and a holding pawl associated with each rack, and a clicking detent for said pinion.

3. In a combination lock in combination,

a lock bolt movable between lockable and un lockable positions, a plurality of separately operated racks mounted in intersecting re.- lation with said lockbolt for locking the same in its lockable position, each of said racks having an arbitrarily 'positioned notch.

for freeing said lock bolt, selective means for operating said racks comprising a sliding.

pinion adapted to engage with any one of several racks, a return spring and a holding pawl associated with each rack, means oper sa1d selectlve means for throwmgout.

ated by said holding pawls collectively and thereby "permit restoration of said racks by the return springs.

4. In a combination lock in a lock bolt movable between lockable and unlockable positions, a plurality of separately operated racks mounted in intersecting relation with said lock bolt for locking the same in its lockable position, each of said racks combination,

combination, a

having an arbitrarily positioned notch fior' freeing said lock bolt, selective means for operating said racks comprising a sliding pinion adapted to engage With any one of several racks, a return spring and a holding pawl associated With each rack, means operated by said selective means for throwing out said holding pawls collectively and thereby permit restoration of said racks by the return springs, said means comprising a throw-out bar common to said holding paWls and having a gear sector adapted to be engaged by said pinion.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature. I

" DARIO ROBEBTI. 

